T.E. Lawrence . (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The battered WWI sandals of the famed British soldier T.E. Lawrence--known internationally as Lawrence of Arabia--are slated go on sale along with other of his prized items on Tuesday at Hansons Auctioneers in the United Kingdom in Etwall, Derbyshire.
"The appearance of Lawrence's sandals on an auction was initially accepted with reservations because we see from time to time items which are presented as if they belonged to him. But a close scrutiny by long time collectors and experts tends to agree that the sandals and other items are genuine and we know who kept those items through the years. In this case the owner died last year at the age of 80, " former Israeli diplomat Jacob Rosen-Koenigsbuch told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. Rosen-Koenigsbuch was Israel's Ambassador to Jordam from 2006-2009. He is one of the world's leading experts on T.E. Lawrence.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, told the Express paper that"We understand the sandals were worn by the great man himself. Though in a delicate condition, they are remarkable survivors from almost a century ago. They must have faced rocky and sandy terrain and may be war-weary." The remarkable Lawrence find was discovered in a plastic bag along with books and photographs that were given to Rodney Havelock Walker. The Lawrence sandals and other cherished items from him could secure over $4,000 for the sellers.
Lawrence had a close relationship with Walker family. He gave a rare copy of his book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, to the family. British media reports said Walker was christened in Lawrence's own "white lace christening robe." The chain of custody of Lawrence's items went from Walker to another family who has now decided to auction the goods.
The British officer Lawrence--a pan-Arabist nationalist and a Zionist--played a key role in the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire army in the Middle East war theater. Lawrence wrote in 1909 about the then Ottomann-controlled Palestine: “The sooner the Jews farm it the better: their colonies are bright spots in a desert.” In a rarely noted 1920 article titled “The Changing East,” Lawrence wrote of the Jewish biblical connection to Israel. For Lawrence, “the Jewish experiment” to create a homeland was “a conscious effort, on the part of the least European people in Europe, to make head against the drift of the ages, and return once more to the Orient from which they came.”
Lawrence's daredevil exploits during his desert insurgency against the Ottomans were depicted in the blockbuster 1962 Oscar-winning Hollywood film starring Peter O'Toole.